Thanks Grand Poobah - the past two winters were very cold here. We had 80 consecutive hours below freezing which is unheard of for us. We will have to pay eventually. From June through Sept is usually too hot to carve after 9am. The next 3 months will be prime for carving. I have a lot of things I want to try and am eager to get at it.

Conga T. You are too kind my friend. There have to be a least a hundred guys on here that surpass my abilities on many levels. I'm just a guy goofing off and having fun. I do really appreciate your support. really!

Lake - This species of oak is not as hard as some I have carved. It is, however, just as heavy as most. I continue my quest to discover the secrets of your beautiful finishes. That is exactly what I'm striving for.

Big T. I don't recall ever seeing a manaia like that as a tattoo. I thought it would be different. The finish is cherry flavored Watco Danish oil. This is my first time using it. I only used one coat. My style of carving is so unrefined I don't feel a fine finish would match so I keep it simple. Or, maybe I'm just too lazy. I do love the highly burnished pieces ( see Creative Chimp's marq) and hope to discipline myself to do at least one like that some day.

To make a long story short... I cut the heads off a few old moai carvings I became discouraged with several years ago...not because I was discouraged with them but because I want to use the lower half for a new project I just started.

Love the new carve Amate, and what a great picture with the severed heads in the
background. Anxious to see what you're going to do with the heads and the bodies
they were once part of. The tiki spirit lives in you!